In 2011, Christie nominated Sohail Mohammed for a seat on the New Jersey Superior Court of Passaic County. Mohammed was an immigrant from India and rose to prominence as a leader in the Muslim community. He helped the FBI understand Muslim culture, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he spoke out against the government's targeting of Muslim and Middle Eastern individuals.
"Sohail worked effectively and very appropriately with the U.S. Attorney's Office (of New Jersey) and the FBI in bridging relations and providing outreach with the Muslim community," Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman, said at the time. "And he did it at a time when federal law enforcement in New Jersey needed someone like him to do that."
But Christie and Mohammed quickly faced attacks from some conservatives.
Conservative writer Debbie Schlussel said Christie "rewarded those Muslim mobs who cheered on U.S. soil for the mass murder of 3,000 Americans with a judgeship." Steve Emerson, who runs the Investigative Project on Terrorism, said Mohammed was "a longtime mouthpiece for radical Islamists."
Other conservative bloggers said Christie was "in bed with the enemy" and had put New Jersey on a path "toward becoming the Sharia State."
Mohammed faced similar treatment when he went before the state's Senate Judiciary Committee. Legislators asked him to define the word "jihad" and to state whether he ever objected to the term "Islamo terrorist."
Despite these attacks, Christie stood by Mohammed.
At his swearing-in ceremony in 2011, Judge Sohail Mohammed held up a copy of his citizenship papers.
Facebook
Twitter